Easy One-Pot Noodles + Crispy Beef
Bring coconut milk, broth, and some shortcut curry paste to a boil then toss noodles straight in the pot to cook. It’s that easy! No need for boiling separately, reserving cooking liquid, or any extra steps.
Readers are loving my recent Thai basil beef so I decided to run it back here. The short cook time on the noodles gives you just enough time to make the crispy caramelized beef crumbles. (Check out the chopped peanut garnish from that recipe for an awesome topping for these noodles.)
I’ll leave you with a couple tips to noodle on before you get cooking. I hope you enjoy this one!
Noodle Note
After my Trader Joe’s knife cut noodle series, I thought I might start using other styles of noodles. But I really love the sliced, squiggly style noodles. They’re perfect for holding onto proteins and sauces like in this recipe.
I did, however, broaden my horizons with a different brand from 99 Ranch Market (pictured below). I actually tested a few different brands just to make sure they all work about the same. Spoiler: They do.
So you’re just looking for a wheat noodle. If it’s hand cut style, great. If not, any wider wheat noodle will be fine.
The only thing I would caution against is using wheat pasta for this recipe. Unlike my peanut butter noodles, where I used pappardelle in place of noodles like this, these noodles will cook directly in the sauce. You’ll need a longer cook time and a lot more liquid to cook pasta.
If you do want to go that route, cook the pasta and sauce on their own before combining.
Coconut Curry Noodles with Crispy Beef
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 16 oz Extra Lean Ground Beef, or chicken, turkey, etc.
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos
- 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- ½ oz Thai Basil, about 15-20 leaves
For the Noodles
- 1 can (13.5 oz) Light Coconut Milk
- 1 cup Bone Broth (Beef or Chicken), or your choice of liquid
- 3 Tablespoons (54g) Thai Yellow Curry Paste, reduce for spice sensitive**
- 4 Frozen Crushed Garlic Cubes, or 4 cloves fresh
- 2 Frozen Crushed Ginger Cubes, or 2 teaspoons fresh
- 6 oz Wheat Noodles, I used 3 blocks of Sun Chi sliced noodles (see notes)*
Instructions
- Add the curry paste, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, and broth to a 4-quart saucepan. (If you're using a larger pot and have trouble submerging the noodles, you may need to add a bit more broth/liquid.)
- Place over medium heat and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil before adding the noodles. Cook the noodles for 4-5 minutes or until al dente before turning off the heat.
- Once you have the broth going, start on the beef by heating a pan over medium-high heat with cooking spray or a tiny drizzle of oil. Add the beef and brown one side for 3-4 minutes before breaking apart and fully cooking.
- Add the coconut aminos, oyster and fish sauce, honey, and basil leaves to the cooked beef. Stir everything together and cook until the sauce begins to caramelize and the basil wilts, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add about 2/3 of the beef to the cooked noodles and stir everything together. Plate the noodles and top with the remaining beef. Garnish with cilantro and sliced green onion, lime wedges, and chili crisp, if desired.
